Marcello Hernández: Catch him, if you can

When Marcello Hernández speaks, his dependable takes ebullient leaps and bounds. He tells jokes with the aforesaid philharmonic cadence of the Caribbean songs his parents raised him on; classics by Juan Luis Guerra, Celia Cruz and Tito El Bambino.

“My dada is similar a comic small Dominican feline and past my Cuban ma is this larger-than-life benignant of figure,” explains the 28-year-old stand-up comic. “Watching them each beryllium comic successful their ain small mode was important to me,” helium adds.

In his 2025 Netflix stand-up drama special, “American Boy,” Hernández painted a riotous representation of his younker successful Miami, wherever helium grew up playing shot and yet starred successful comedic videos for the city’s beloved societal media page, Only successful Dade. In 2022, helium joined the formed of “Saturday Night Live,” weaving his excitable Spanglish travel into recurring sketches similar “Domingo” (which co-starred Sabrina Carpenter) and his English-language spoof of the Latin American assortment amusement “Sabado Gigante.” In sketches similar “Protective Mom” — partially inspired by his ain aggressively doting parent — he’s tag teamed with talents similar Pedro Pascal and Bad Bunny to amplify the vibrancy and absurdity of Latino wit for anglophone audiences.

Come May 10 successful Los Angeles, Hernández volition header the biggest Spanish-language drama amusement ever to grace the Hollywood Bowl, arsenic portion of the Netflix Is a Joke drama festival. The Bowl amusement volition travel with enactment from Mexican comedian Sofia Niño de Rivera and a peculiar philharmonic show by the Colombian reggaeton sensation Feid — whose songs Hernández can’t assistance but sing astatine random passim our interview. (His favourite astatine the moment? “Chorrito Pa Las Animas.”)

“It’s the archetypal clip there’s been an all-Spanish drama lawsuit astatine the Hollywood Bowl,” Hernández says. “When my agents told me, I couldn’t judge it!”

Hernández greets maine connected a Zoom telephone wearing Clubmaster sunglasses, his caput wrapped mummy-like by an off-white hoodie, knit scarf and beanie. He’s conscionable taken a greeting stroll successful New York with his girlfriend, Dominican designer Ana Amelia Batlle Cabral, and is inactive defrosting from the wintry chill; he’ll beryllium afloat warmed up upon landing successful California.

“I privation to archer my kids astir the Hollywood Bowl show,” helium says. “Like, ‘You know, your begetter was the archetypal guy.’ You cognize however your uncles were ever ‘the archetypal guy’ to bash something?”

“Yeah,” helium says, fanning his hands crossed the surface for emphasis. “‘I was the archetypal feline … successful the world!’”

This interrogation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Your Cuban and Dominican household is simply a fixture of your Netflix special, “American Boy.” How bash you deliberation your household influenced your consciousness of humor?

I deliberation you gotta beryllium comic if your parents are divorced. My parents getting divorced made maine [grow into] an big quicker. All my friends of divorced parents person a comic happening astir them, due to the fact that what is much childish than being like: “I can’t beryllium with you anymore?” I’d telephone my dada similar a grown-up: “Pick maine up astatine 7. We volition person meal and past you volition instrumentality maine to my location due to the fact that I person schoolhouse successful the morning.”

Caribbeans emotion nicknames. What were immoderate nicknames you had increasing up?

Dominican kids that I met astatine summertime campy were comic arsenic hell. They utilized to telephone maine “rubio” [and] “gringo” — they knew I was Dominican, but they conscionable liked to messiness around. My small relative didn’t cognize however to accidental my sanction right, truthful helium utilized to telephone maine Mamelo. [Author’s note: That translates to “suck it” successful Spanish.]

Do you ever consult your household earlier penning jokes?

I deliberation I did my time! I earned the quality to accidental this stuff. We’re ever together. I would ne'er privation to marque my household look atrocious for a laugh. I don’t deliberation that’s a astute mode to play it. My ma has ever gone to my shows and been like, “What is helium going to accidental now?” But we person a large relationship. Something I emotion astir migrant families is that we person a beauteous bully consciousness of humor. We don’t instrumentality ourselves excessively seriously, due to the fact that immoderate parts of beingness are precise serious.

Your ma is portion of a Cuban exile assemblage — you managed to alteration her stories into a moving gag astir your privilege successful narration to however she grew up. How did it signifier your perspective?

I ne'er had to permission my state oregon commencement implicit again, particularly similar [she did] astatine my property present — she had kids and I’m stressed astir jokes. She’s fixed maine a batch of perspective. And I deliberation position is the quality betwixt a idiosyncratic that’s going to beryllium OK and a idiosyncratic that’s going to struggle. I deliberation it’s each based connected your perspective. If you unrecorded your beingness from a spot of gratitude, you person a amended accidental to past and springiness backmost too.

When I was a teenager, I utilized to unpaid astatine a status location with these Cuban ladies. I hung retired with 1 who was 98 years aged and would thrust her astir successful her wheelchair. She was ever blessed to spot me. A twelvemonth aft we started hanging out, she passed away. I learned to bask the time. At archetypal it felt similar a occupation to spell determination [when] I wanted to conscionable beryllium astir and ticker TV. But yet I started to consciousness joy, being determination for people. I’ve met a batch of celebrated radical [who] are truly palmy [but] besides ace nice, generous and caring. It inspires you to beryllium better.

Who are immoderate of those radical for you?

Pedro Pascal has been a beingness changer successful galore ways with that archetypal sketch we did connected “SNL.” I deliberation Kenan [Thompson] was ever truthful unreasonably adjuvant with maine successful the aboriginal days. Colin [Jost] was ever truly bully to me, Ego Nwodim was similar a large sister to maine connected the show. She’s specified a almighty performer. Kevin Hart besides had large member vigor with me.

As a Latino and the archetypal Gen-Z formed subordinate of “SNL,” you’ve helped propel the amusement successful truthful galore ways. You’ve written truthful galore fantastic Latino characters into your sketches — and introduced radical to “Sabado Gigante!”

That was with Steven Castillo, we wrote that together. He’s Mexican American. He evidently grew up watching that amusement arsenic well. And it truly felt similar a existent infinitesimal due to the fact that that amusement was truthful important to us. It was conscionable chill to bash it with American radical similar with Paul Rudd [and] Nate Bargatze, who was truthful comic successful that. I anticipation to look backmost connected “SNL” and deliberation I did thing cool. You’re expected to constitute astir what you cognize — and I bash cognize a small spot astir being a small Latino boy.

The mode you and Bad Bunny person teamed up successful your sketches is enjoyable to watch. How did you make rapport with him, arsenic actors?

He’s conscionable a guy! I’ve met his parents and each his friends. He’s conscionable a feline that keeps his household precise adjacent and his friends precise close. I’m blessed that helium was chill capable to benignant of fto maine successful astatine all. He’s specified a hard idiosyncratic and specified a originative talent, and erstwhile helium comes to “SNL,” I consciousness a work to springiness him thing to play with. His “El Chavo Del Ocho” [sketch] was his baby.

You’re headlining an all-Spanish drama amusement astatine the Hollywood Bowl with Feid — is determination gonna beryllium a philharmonic constituent to your performance?

I emotion his music! I’ve really been to 1 of his concerts connected my ain successful the past. There’s gonna beryllium immoderate drama astatine the opening and past there’s gonna beryllium freaking reggaeton! I privation radical to travel and laughter and dance. What other tin you inquire for? That’s, successful galore ways, my perfect evening.

Say you were successful a assemblage of Latinos astatine a karaoke barroom — what would you sing?

In Spanish, everything feels much formal. [Singing lines from “Se Preparó” by Ozuna] I went to precocious schoolhouse successful Miami and it was comic to beryllium 15, 16, singing these dense romance songs connected the autobus with the athletes, the shot players. We were reasoning that we were truthful cool! There’s truthful galore [others] to take from — I motion disconnected my emails with “La Bamba.” One of my favourite songs of each clip is “Loco” by Beéle. Also “Amor Narcótico” by Chichí Peralta. Shout retired to “Me Rehúso” by Danny Ocean... And “Te Lo Agradezco, Pero No” with Alejandro Sanz and Shakira. I heard it playing from a nutrient cart yesterday and it stopped maine successful my tracks!